DuVal defense rises to challenge

Fumble recovery sparks Tigers in shutout victory

On a day when the DuVal High School football team turned in a dominating shutout performance against Bowie High, it was only appropriate that a play by the Tigers' defense led to the game's deciding points.

After a scoreless first three quarters, several DuVal linemen mobbed Bulldogs' quarterback Jordan Maslanik in the backfield as he dropped back to pass. Maslanik fumbled, allowing DuVal defensive lineman Rapheal Mbachu to pick up the ball and take it 23 yards to the Bowie 3-yard line.

"They just kept blitzing up the middle," Maslanik said. "Our line was able to pick it up a little, but we had a couple misses."

Mbachu's fumble recovery set up a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown run by Olademeji Layeni, giving the Tigers all the scoring they would need to beat Bowie, 12-0, on Saturday.

The penetration DuVal got on that game-changing play was a fair example of the persistent defensive pressure that limited Bowie to 112 yards of total offense.

The Tigers did a particularly notable job of holding dynamic Bowie running back Travis Thomas in check. Although the athletic senior — who has attracted recruiting interest from Richmond, Villanova and George Mason — ran for 109 yards and a touchdown in Bowie's season-opening loss to Laurel, he was limited to 31 yards rushing against DuVal.

Stuffed at the line of scrimmage time after time, Thomas did not break free for a rush longer than 3 yards until his 10th carry of the contest.

"They came to play and they were very physical," said Bowie coach Lionel Macklin of the DuVal defense. "They made some big plays when they had to."

It was the second straight standout performance by DuVal on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers held Oxon Hill to just a single score in their first game of the season, but lost 7-6.

Coach Dameon Powell cited the unit's work ethic at practice and some fine tutelage from the coaching staff as reasons for its early season success.

With a limited passing attack — first-year quarterback Nelson Alston went just 3 for 8 for 1-yard Saturday – and an inexperienced offensive line, Powell said his squad will lean heavily on the defense as it tries to grind out more low-scoring victories this fall.

Bowie came closest to scoring during the second quarter. After having first and goal at the Tigers' 5-yard line, an incomplete pass and a pair of rushes for no gain brought up fourth down. Mbachu subsequently forced Maslanik into an intentional grounding penalty, earning his side a turnover on downs.

"They knuckled up today, mano a mano, and they came through for us," Powell said of the defensive stand. "That's what good teams do – their defense has to come through in the clutch."